Realising i may have schizophrenia

By Tom-manchester Friday, August 28, 2009

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The last two years of my life have been extremely hard with me finally diagnosing myself with a possible mental health problem. I have had irrational thoughts for a few years now and just recently it has become more serious. I have also been a heavy cannabis user and now stopped as it seems to make things worse. None of my family or friends know about my illness and i haven't been to a gp yet as i am too scared about the consequences, even though i know in my head it will get worse. To make matters worse i am starting university in september. I have recognised some of the symptoms of sz such as, delusions and difficulty articulating myself in conversation. Paranoia is another symptom which effects me alot aswell. I go out sometimes and i feel myself getting anxious if im on my own. Which in tern gets me more depressed and i will hear a voice in my head telling something i dont believe and i struggle to get rid it sometimes. I cant tell my family because we are already dysfunctional and my sister relies on me a lot. I wrote this blog to see if anyone had ideas about how to cope with this illnesss.

Comments (12) | Add comment

Donna-1

8/28/09 10:06pm

Tom, the thing you need to do right now is to take care of yourself first and foremost. If you get worse, you might not be able to help your sister and might not be able to do a host of other things you want to do. Even if you choose not to tell your family, please go to a psychiatrist and get treatment (usually medication) ASAP. When you are taking an antipsychotic that works for you (it varies from person to person) your life will change for the better. If you are not taking the proper medication, it is almost guaranteed you will only get worse.

Please come back to this site and let us know what you decide to do or at least how you are feeling; this is a very caring community.

Carolyn

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:54pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medication to help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares xx

David Robbins

8/29/09 7:19am

Tom, I want to echo Carolyn's words. Seek treatment ASAP.

If you had a cut on your finger you would wrap it up and take all the necessary precautions so it won't get infected. Do not wait! Get a psych evaluation. If you wait too long to seek professional help the longer it will take the recover.

Meds do help the SZ symptoms. You can live a full life and take meds. This site has members who have full lives.

Bottom line...SEEK HELP!

Keep us informed as to how you are doing. We care for each other on this site.

Peace,

Dave

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:54pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medicationto help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares xx

Christina Bruni, Health Guide

8/30/09 8:09pm

Hi tom,

First of all, if you have schizophrenia you will need to take the medication every day as prescribed. A qualified psychiatrist will be the one to make any mental illness diagnosis. So you need to see a professional because it's already gotten out of hand. If it was determined you had schizophrenia, you would need to take the meds right away to have the best chance of recovery.

You can read the archives of the experts and the community members here to get an idea about how to cope. Click on the blue "connect" button at the top middle of this page and then click on See the Latest SharePosts and later click on Meet Our Experts and click on the profile buttons to read people's blog entries.

If I were you I would continue with your plans to attend the university and while you are there consider seeing a therapist at the school's mental health centre.

Regards,

Christina

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:55pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medicationto help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares xx

Adam's mom

8/31/09 1:18pm

Tom,

I would also suggest a full physical and blood work up. My brother had a psychotic episode and it turned out that his thyroid was off the charts low. Also check for celiac, he had that too. He now eats a gluten free diet and has never had another episode. How old are you? Good for you for stopping pot. THC messes directly with the dopamine in your brain and makes it very complicated to find the right meds. Get help now. Everybody's family is dysfunctional in one way or another. Take care of yourself.

Kathy

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:56pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medicationto help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares xx

PS Im 19 years old

Ryan

9/ 1/09 2:35pm

i myself am in a similar situation, but you should seek medical help as soon as you can because as the illness progresses it will become harder to treat and more difficult for you to live with.

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:57pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medicationto help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares and i hope you get better soon xx

Daleri

9/ 2/09 3:56am

Doing pot is one of the worst things you could be doing but other than that, you need to make sure that you do have sz symptoms. I can understand you not wanting to tell anyone as there is a lot of stigma attached to being affected by sz. We cannot recommend what you should be doing for obvious reasons. You might want to investigate more about the illness. It is not very common for people to get symptom free ever but there are some people who have had success and some of them without medication. The more serious cases of sz seem to have no other choice than to find a medication that works for them. You need to understand that the voices you are hearing are not real and they are not true. You have to believe that. They are a fabrication of your mind. We were not made to be controlled by voices. Even God allows for us having a personality.

I hope the best for you and for everyone affected by sz.

Tom-manchester

9/ 3/09 6:57pm

Thanks alot for your support and thoughtfulness. I'm going to see a specialist asap and see if they can diagnose me or give some kind of medicationto help with some of the symptoms. Thanks so much, its good to know someone cares xx

Realising i may have schizophrenia

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